LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Effinex will be ridden by Gary Stevens next Saturday night in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs in the absence of regular rider Mike Smith, who is committed to ride Songbird a few hours earlier in the Summertime Oaks at Santa Anita.

Effinex figures as a solid favorite in the 35th running of the $500,000 Foster, a Win and You’re In event toward the Nov. 5 Breeders’ Cup Classic and the richest of five graded stakes on a Downs After Dark program.

ELMONT, N.Y. – When Art Magnuson left the employ of trainer Kiaran McLaughlin last fall following the Saratoga meet, he wasn’t necessarily planning to start training on his own.

But it appears it’s going to work out that way.

Magnuson, 51, has four stalls at Saratoga. He has a pair of 2-year-olds of his own – Callant and Dulcita – and the unraced 4-year-old Sweet Cider. He is also preparing another 2-year-old, Saint Patrick Frost, who will go to Pat Kelly.

ELMONT, N.Y. – It has been a frustrating spring for trainer Alan Goldberg when it comes to Force the Pass, last year’s Grade 1 Belmont Derby winner.

After having to pass three spots with Force the Pass, Goldberg is eyeing next Saturday’s Grade 3, $300,000 Poker Stakes at a mile here for the colt’s next start.

“I’m on Plan D,” Goldberg said Thursday. “Hopefully, we’ll get there.”

ELMONT, N.Y. – Unified, unbeaten in three starts, all around one turn, is set for his two-turn debut in the Grade 3, $150,000 Pegasus Stakes for 3-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles at Monmouth Park on June 19 following a fast workout on the Belmont Park main track Friday morning.

Unified, working alone, was caught by Daily Racing Form going six furlongs in 1:11.80, with a seven-furlong gallop-out in 1:25.80. Exercise rider Kelvin Pahal, who was aboard the older horse Effinex earlier in the morning, was up.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Outwork came a long way in a short time during the first half of the year, and on Friday morning, he began his first steps toward his racing campaign in the second half of the year.

For the 57th straight day no one hit the Golden Pick 6 jackpot on Thursday. The jackpot will start at $1,286,839 for Friday’s races, as the wager closes in on a mandatory distribution Sunday.

Tickets with six winners Thursday returned $2,278.10 for a 20-cent wager. The Golden Pick 6 jackpot is paid only when there is a single ticket with all six winners.

With 12 races and the Golden Pick 6 distribution, Golden Gate will have an early 12:45 p.m. first post for Sunday, closing day of the meet.

ELMONT, N.Y. - Owner-trainer Martyn Meade has sent the 4-year-old filly Irish Rookie from England for the Grade 1, $700,000 Just a Game Stakes at Belmont Park on Saturday. If things go well, a return trip in the fall is possible, according to Meade's assistant and son, Freddie.

"There are races for her later in the year here that we might consider," Freddie Meade said.

Trainer John Servis and owner Chuck Zacney are no strangers to Belmont Stakes Day, but it has been a long time between visits.

Servis brought the undefeated Smarty Jones to the 2004 Belmont as a heavy favorite in search of completing the Triple Crown. But after opening a big lead, Smarty Jones was run down by Birdstone and beaten a length.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Julie Clark remembers being horse crazy as early as age 4 and being captivated by the first running of the Breeders’ Cup back in 1984. But until recent years, she had largely spent her life with polo horses and thought the closest she’d get to participating with racehorses in the Triple Crown or the Breeders’ Cup was with the parties she’d throw on those days.

ELMONT, N.Y. – As the New York Racing Association prepares to launch its national advance-deposit wagering platform, NYRA Bets, next month, the company is expanding its television presence to enable more people to watch its product.